The invention relates to an unmanned underwater vessel of the generic type having a pressure hull, a drive assembly, and at least one ancillary device arranged on the pressure hull.
Self-driven, preferably propeller-driven, unmanned underwater vessels are used as autonomously operating vessels or as vessels which are remote-controlled via a data transmission cable for the purpose of carrying out various tasks under water, so-called missions, such as for reconnaissance work on the topography of the seabed, for clearing mines and the destruction of mines. In this case, similarly designed vessels are equipped with different devices and components, depending on the profile of requirements, and these devices and components are arranged in various regions on the pressure hull of the vessels. The vessel, which is equipped in accordance with a specific profile of requirements, is trimmed individually, such that it has an almost horizontal alignment in the water and is thus largely stabilized horizontally and against rolling. Deviations from the hydrodynamics are picked up by closed-loop control circuits to which the drive device is connected. If the vessel is intended to be changed over to another mission task, it needs to be completely retrimmed again after it has been converted. In this case, not only does the trim of the converted underwater vessel need to be recalculated and tested, but also the closed-loop control circuits for the drive assembly need to be readapted in order to ensure stable steering of the underwater vessel with the new trim.
The invention is based on the object, in the case of an underwater vessel with ancillary devices, of designing the ancillary devices such that they can both be used to replace existing ancillary devices of other types and arranged on the pressure hull in addition to the existing ancillary devices without the trim of the underwater vessel having to be changed as a result.